Flawed Life
by Notus Lethe
Summary: Luke wants Sophia. Sophia doesn't know what she wants. Fate already has their destiny planned out. Watch, as Sophia struggles with her feelings for Luke and the ever-present battle with her wolf side. an epic S/L story


A muse who I hadn't known before grabbed me by the lapels, saying "If you don't write this, I will kill all your other muses. Go." Thus, this story was born. Honestly, I have no idea where it came from. I watched the episode where Sophia goes the rave and haven't stopped writing sense. This has a spoilers of the whole series. Except the last two episodes, where it doesn't follow cannon AT ALL.  
There will be words you don't understand. Don't worry, it's a language that you will only recognize (and understand) if you are intimately familiar with Final Fantasy X. There's also some buisness with runes that was researched and is completely accurate. You might not understand it either!  
I realize that the question I used later on for the Standardized test is really stupid. Oh well. I didn't feel like making something competent. There is going to be lots of confusing dialogue.  
ITALICS, MEANING THE SLANTY THINGS, MEAN EMPHAZISED WORDS OR THOUGHTS SPOKEN TELEPATHICALLY.  
At the end of the story, you may have some complaints/questions. There's another author's note down there. NOW ENJOY! MWAHAHA!!

BTW, Tom Welling belongs to himself and Clark belongs to whatever owns Superman. And uhm, Wolf Lake too.

Geez... I hope the rating is high enough...

Flawed Life  
*~Charisma~*

Did somebody tell you  
This is how it's supposed to be?  
Or did you just find it  
And you don't want any more from me?  
barenaked ladies -- shoe box

He was watching her. The senses had enhanced to the point where she could feel her kind, their thoughts springing up in her head so that she became confused at certain points. But right now, there was only one of her kind in the nearby vicinity. Even if she hadn't had the recent upgrade to her senses, emotions and thoughts were flooding from of him.

As is true with all male species the age of seventeen, the main feeling that Luke was emitting was lust. The waves were so powerful that she had to stop and compose herself every so often. It was a miracle that she managed to function at all. The object of her growing frustration raised a hand slightly, beckoning her to his table. She braced herself, calming the shudders that continuously racked her body and that twisting feeling her stomach couldn't stop making.

"What do you want?" She hadn't meant it to sound rude, but he was making her dizzy, hungry, and not for food...

A grin spread across his face and he leaned back, making that impossibly tight white shirt stretch across his chest, shadows showing off the muscles of his body. She swallowed and stared instead at her pad of paper. "Well it _is_ a diner Sophia."

"Oh don't act as if I don't know you. Why are you really here?" There was teeth showing in his smile this time and Sophia felt her stomach and things lower clench, tongue unconsciously wetting her lips.

_I want to bite you._

The thought came out of no where and Sophia immediately blamed it on the boy in front of her. But she soon realized that _she_ had thought it; Luke had no part. The blush managed to stay beneath her throat.

"Let's get out of here." He whispered, hand making little circles on the tabletop. She risked a glance back at the counter, but no one was watching.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm working." Harsher than intended again. She couldn't help it, of course. If she didn't keep a severe guard up, if she didn't pretend he wasn't affecting her...

There was a shrug and devil may care look about his face, "You've never missed a day or even been late, you stay for more overtime then you actually work, you show up on your days off... Sophia, no one would mind if you left early just this once."

He had to be a terribly good kisser, with lips like that. She shook compromising images out of her head. "Do you want something to eat Luke, or are you just going to sit here?"

_Oh I want something to eat..._

He stood, smile leaving and becoming a bit guarded. The emotions that she'd been feeling like they were her own dulled and that message was the last clear thought she got from him. A pang of loss swept through her but she quickly ratified why she should be happy and not sad. Her body wasn't shaking anymore and she wasn't intensely aware of Luke's hair or clothes or body or smell...

"Actually," He said, the fact that they were now closer physically ironic to the distance emotionally. "I've got somewhere to be."

Before she knew it, he was walking away. Something inside her called him back, something wanted to leave with him, something inside her knew what her mind didn't. But Sophia tried to ignore it and picked up the cup Luke had left, turning towards the kitchen.

A sudden gasp escaped her throat as there was Luke, standing directly in front of her and so close, she could see the tiny spikes of blue in his deep green eyes.

"If you don't want me around, stop doing this." His hand darted out, like a snake grabbing prey, and curled around her neck, thumb pressing into her pulse point. A flash of pleasure so intense it bordered on pain shot through her and she lost the cup, it thunking loudly on the tiled floor.

When her eyes opened, he was gone and a few more eyes were watching her. Trying vainly to hide the blush, Sophia bent down and picked up the cup, quickly walking back to the kitchen.

***

He was walking towards her with that sinuous, seductive way of his, and she, like always was dutifully trying to ignore him. At the diner, he must have been super aroused or something to get her all worked up like that, but now, her anger was back in full force and she used it. She'd gone to that damn rave, lied to her father, for _him_ and he was-was-was doing whatever the hell he was doing with that little _slut_-

"Hey Sophia." She slammed her locker shut and turned smartly on her heel, going the opposite direction of Luke and her next class. Oh well, she could always fake being sick and just go home...

And suddenly -like all things in her life recently- Luke had his hand on her elbow and pushed her gently into the nearest wall, effectively trapping her. If she could manage to keep their skin from touching, from any of her body brushing against the slightest of his, she could maintain control.

"What's wrong Sophia?" She really liked the way his lips formed her name. They made it _her name_, not just any random Sophia. She blinked slowly, squaring off her shoulders and glancing at him through defiant lashes.

"Nothing's wrong." His eyes were the normal green, but concerned, bordering on anguish. Hands were on either side of her, so that she'd have to duck to move out of the way, but that might mean she'd brush by him and with the way things had been going lately... Sophia shook all images out of her head like she'd had to do so many times.

"Don't act like I don't know you." He repeated her words from the day before, a small smile flickering over his face. Pet peeve: having your words thrown back at you. She shifted her weight and prepared herself for his full on gaze, looking up into his eyes with her own hard.

"Fine. I went to the rave." A shock of realization spread over his face and he managed to close it off again, eyes moving out of their locked gaze and to a spot on the wall by her shoulder.

"You did?" That red-hot anger swelled up in her, flowed into her fingers and flooded her eyes. They would be yellow now; she knew it.

"Yeah, I did." She ripped herself away, tearing down the hall in a sprint she'd never reached before. Luke watched after her, clenching a fist and slamming it through the wall.

Damn.

***

Trees of varying shapes and sizes rushed past her, the leafy green foliage grasping at her, trying to pull her down into their emerald shadowy depths. Her legs pumped, thighs parallel to the ground with each stride, arms extending as if reaching for something. She kept her head down for speed, hair flapping like raven's wings behind her and chest breathing heavily beneath her flimsy cotton shirt. Why couldn't she have worn more than that blasted shirt and equally flimsy cotton boxers?

The urge to transform ached at her fingertips, her animal begged to be unleashed; she could easily escape all this with a quick focus and that wonderful release of her shape.

But she resisted, and kept running, gliding over the ground more like a bird than the wolf. The steps echoed behind her, approaching closer. They were almost upon her, almost getting her. She pushed harder, streaming along inhuman speeds. The footsteps were too fast; they caught her.

A shape collided with her back and she tumbled forward, turning it into a roll that should have brought her to her feet but didn't. The shape loomed before her, stepping on either side of her chest, which still rose and fell with the weight of the world. The wolf leaned forward, rubbing its muzzle along her cheek and she raised her hands to thread through its fur, pressing her face against its. The wolf pulled back, made a strange jerking motion, and started to shed its form. She watched nonchalant and waited for the human form. She needed the wolf form for his, but she had the human.

He had finished, crouching over her naked with eyes that were too large, glowing in the darkness. She put her hands into his hair again, pulling him forward into her mouth. He _was_ a terribly good kisser, attacking this time because she didn't want soft. His tongue darted around her mouth, dueling and massaging while lips pulled and sucked. Hands had found her waist, running fingers over her ribs and pushing her against him. She cried out as they met and her eyes sprang open, revealing a ceiling that had been painted Milk Glass Blue' a few weeks ago.

Sophia sat up in bed, wiping the sweat from her forehead and trying to forget that dream or at least forget that it was Luke in her dream, as it had been for so many nights now. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized there was a faint tapping on her window.

Not bothering to put on her glasses (which, truth be told, she didn't really need anyway), Sophia stumbled over to her window and pulled up the shades. Unsurprisingly, she met a familiar pair of green eyes that belonged to the infamous Lucas Cates. His hand was raised to the glass, prepared for another series of taps. When he saw her, she could hear him mentally say her name. She opened the window.

"Can I come in?" A quick glance over at the clock confirmed that it was indeed two in the morning, but another look back at him and she gave in, moving out of his way. He practically pooled into the room, reminding her more of a snake or water than a wolf.

"You _do_ realize it's two in the morning." The darkness made him dangerous, eyes glowing with the moonlight.

"Yeah but I-" He stopped abruptly, head turning slightly as if he'd caught a whiff of something. But it was gone, or he had hidden it and a confused Sophia watched him continue. "But I wanted to see why you were angry at me."

"With." Immediately, she regretted it.

"What?" Might as well explain.

"You said at.' When using the verb angry, you should have said with-"

"Sophia! I don't care!" Crimson anger swelled off him and she realized that he wasn't angry with her. He was angry with himself. For making _her_ angry, for hurting _her_.

"I already told you. I went to the rave." The red vanished and was replaced with the blue of tears and the sickly yellow of fear. This new flood of colors made her fingers itch to paint, although she'd never picked up a brush and was more adept at writing than painting.

"But-" he fidgeted, "but why did that make you upset?"

Sophia thinned her lips; a disgusting habit picked up from her chemistry teacher. "I found you. I found you- you and Presley and you were- you were-"

Sickly saffron melted into a lime green of horror. Luke gulped and closed his eyes deliberately, obviously preparing for a lengthy explanation. "What exactly do you think we were doing?"

It was her turn to change colors as pink filled her cheeks. "You were- well, _you know_- I mean. You were both halfway naked, what am I supposed to assume you were doing?"

"So," he turned up the charm, it melting over him in an enticing wash of cocoa butter. "You think we were having sex? Is that what you take me for Sophia? A little wolf whore?"

"I-I-I-" Way to stutter Sophia. She felt the old cloak of shy quiet recluse wrap around her and she wanted to sink into it, away from this new bold her. Away from Luke, who found something terribly amusing in it all. "I don't think whore exactly-"

"Then what _do_ you think Sophia? You used to tell me everything. I used to tell you everything. Well everything you wanted to know. Talk to me Sophia. We loved to talk." It was endearing, so much so that she moved closer, and they were inches from touching.

It snapped inside her.

"I wanted to hurt you, for being with her. And I- I-" He reached out and lifted a hand to brush her bare shoulder but refrained, the hairs on her arm rising to full alert. Eyes met, and she let it break again, all her boundaries wither. "And I wanted to kill her for touching you. Because you- _you_ were being possessive and if _you_ could be possessive then why couldn't-"

She had to stop before it spilled from her mouth. Those words weren't hers. The belonged to whatever had caused her dreams, to whatever wanted Luke in ways she could have never imagined. It was the wolf inside, the creature that had first sparked when he had transformed, flipped,' for her.

Luke, who she had suspected to be bursting with male ego and eagerly ravishing her as she gazed upon him, looked softly stunned. His breathing was very slow and shallow, barely noticeable and his eyes were fields of meadow grass. "Then why couldn't you? You you want to be _possessive_" he reveled in that word "of _me_."

"Yeah, well don't get too co-" That was his mouth interrupting her. She'd dreamt of the kiss, had a semi one when she passed him a key but this wow. This was wow. Everything leaked out of her head. Wow.

It was like having water when you've run the mile in PE class or winning a contest or tasting the perfect piece of watermelon that you'd grown yourself or that ray of sunlight in a cold and windy day. It was all that and none of it.

Her mind flashed with images. Herself, seeing herself, when she had walked into first grade, having spent kindergarten being tutored by her mother. The world, shifting into an infrared vision. The smell, so many damn smells, a brief smell of the city where it was all urine and then another of lavender, and that was her own smell. She could feel the first time, the _only_ time he'd had sex, and how horrible it was, how stupid and meaningless and how he wanted someone of his own. Someone like him, someone with that lavender scent and big brown eyes and dreams of him and her and transforming in the middle and ecstasy.

She had to pull back and pull back she did, tearing away so violently that she stumbled and fell to the ground, pressing the back of her hand to burned lips. Luke looked equally ruffled, swaying a bit on his feet.

"It wasn't like that the first time." She didn't know which one of them said that, or the next thing in their heads of _the first time didn't really count._'

"I think you'd better leave." That was a good thing to say, because it came out halfway decent. Confusion enveloped Luke, who stole a glance at the window as if it were the Mouth of Hell.

"I can't leave not after after _that_." That recluse inside her also happened to be very well organized and could handle this situation when made indifferent to it.

"It was just a kiss Luke, just a kiss-" He knelt down in front of her, eyes serious, a thing Sophia never thought she'd see with Lucas Cates.

"Just a kiss? You call that _just a kiss_? How many mind blowing kisses have you had Sophia?" Didn't wait for her answer. Damn those rhetorical questions. "Let's do it again then, we'll see if it was just a kiss."

Wow, he seemed pretty determined to prove her-

This time it was different, his mouth melding with hers. She could see some shining white thing with a few streaks of deep scarlet and hard slashes of cold cobalt glow within her body. White for purity not innocence, red for passion and love and blue for sorrow, for being a touchstone in sorrow and pain. _It couldn't be_

And a shining thing was in Luke as well: smooth cool gold of charm and sweetness, that lacing of brick red for strength and courage and woven like a painting was sparkling emerald for curiosity and naiveté, for believing in the goodness of all people.

Those two shining things gravitated together, the colors complementing in a way they shouldn't have been able. Sophia was only barely aware of the physical body, something that in her dreams was so crucial but in reality their lips were together and their tongues mingled as hands moved about bodies, but that was nothing. Not with their shiny things moving together and touching.

She cried out, shoving him away. "If you don't get out, I will!"

"You're scared." He was breathing heavily and not from anything physical.

Sophia groped for her forgotten glasses, that familiarity comforting as they slipped over her nose. "Yeah, I am. Get out Luke, get out!"

All liquid grace gone from his limbs, Luke awkwardly got out of the room, loping off into the distance. It took a few minutes for Sophia to realize that he'd shed all his clothes in her room and had shifted. It helped him get away faster.

Slowly, she climbed back into bed and prayed to every deity, all the ones she didn't believe in and the single one she did, that there were no dreams tonight.

And dutifully, she ignored the fact that her body had grabbed his shirt and slipped into it, feeling his scent enfold her.

***

It was awkward, to say the least, the next day at school when they met. Sophia nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her braided hair, feeling it before that fated encounter. They were walking towards each other in the hall, classes on opposite sides of the school. Closely, the pass was so close, but they didn't brush and a wave of disappointment washed over Sophia. She wanted to touch him.

_But who knows what would have happened if you did?_ So she shook any thoughts of Lucas Cates out of her brain and headed for English, one class she wouldn't pay any attention to that day.

It was the last period of gym that proved to be the most difficult. In some bizarre, evil twist of fate, Luke was in her class. Seven random periods and he had to be in the only one where there might be actual physical contact. Her body felt swollen and flushed. It was awkward to change in the locker room.

After a wonderfully brutal jog around the school, Ms. Darrims instructed that they would be learning baseball. Sophia, mind completely focused on _not_ looking at Luke, only nodded absently when Ms. Darrims assigned partners for batting techniques.

"Aren't we just at the pinnacle of our luck?" She knew immediately that she'd just been put into a situation with no hope at all of getting out even halfway alive.

"Let's just get this over with." She didn't want to be harsh with him. He was the only person -besides her father and that new guy- that she trusted. The only person who she felt was real, was someone she could depend on. If only things could go back to before the dreams, before the rave, before the world fell crashing down in glittering pieces.

"I'll pitch, and you bat." She consented, realizing half a second later that it was mentally. But that didn't seem to mind Luke, who'd given her a bat into numb hands and was stretching out his arms.

He didn't pitch like in the movies, where the guy looked at all the bases and spitted, making little movements with his hat and shirt. She gripped the chunk of wood ineptly, the grip of someone who had never played baseball before. Luke blinked before he threw, a gentle toss with muscles cording and Sophia knew that she was focused so acutely onto those muscles that her weak swing would connect with nothing but oxygen. A smile came over Luke, a genuinely amused smile that was less beautiful, but more him, more right. The curtain of fidgeting and stammering was tossed away and out revealed their old friendship, their old easiness and familiarity. She'd missed it so.

"There are kids at the elementary school that can bat better than you do." She scoffed, mock offended with hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah? Well let's reverse and see you hotshot." Hands came up in a warning, him backing away.

"Oh no. If that's the way you handle a bat, I'm not letting you hurl a ball anywhere near me. Get into your little stance again; I'll show you how to do it." Sophia complied, taking up what had to be the worst way to stand ever.

"Like this?" She felt exasperation and futility swarm over her in a mock tone, as Luke playfully rolled his eyes.

"Who taught you how to do this? Here, grip your hands here. No, the left one right there. Yeah, that's it. Now make your stance wider, no a little more, right there. Swing for me Sophia." She swung, an unsuccessful attempt. It made Luke laugh a bit harder than last time.

"Stop that. Help me, if I'm so bad." It was Luke who complied that time, reaching forward and touching her hips, rotating them in a little motion and repeating. Sophia tried to repeat it without his guidance.

"I guess that's as good as it's going to get. Let's try again." He jogged back to the pitching mound, then with a second thought, moved forward so that he was probably only fifteen feet away from her. Sophia bit her bottom lip in determination, completely aware that it was an insult for him to be pitching that close. The ball flew and she swung out again. This time, the miss was so powerful that she twirled around a few times, barely managing to stay on her feet.

It was _not_ amusing to see Luke shaking with laughter, the grin on his face so large that his molars showed.

He returned to her, eyes still glowing from laughter and this time he came behind her. His arms encircled hers, resting over her hands on the bat and the line of his entire body pressed against hers, more so as he took a practice swing.

"You really suck at baseball Sophia. Just pivot this leg and keep your elbows up, moving your hips in a semi circle like this-" And suddenly, the innocence of a friend teaching another the proper way to swing a bat disappeared.

Sophia became painfully conscious of their hips pressed together intimately and his arms wrapped around her and how his thighs practically supported her. She'd never been so close to anyone in her life. It felt as if she was going to melt into him at any moment, sinking back into the oblivion of whatever she'd encountered the night before, that shining brilliant thing that beckoned her.

His hips still moved, albeit in tiny circles compared to earlier, and his arms came to enclose her stomach, as if to prevent her body from leaving. Like there'd be any chance of that happening. She leaned her head back so that she could see his face out of the corner of her eye. He wet his lips and moved in closer, so that she could feel his breath and that kiss from last night was throbbing in her memory.

"No." And like her unsuccessful swings, Sophia whirled out of the embrace, stilling her thundering heartbeat and trying to make the images become singular again. Luke was looking at the place she had been; still picturing her there it seemed. "Luke, I'm sorry-"

His hands were on her shoulders and those verdant eyes were shimmering gold. It scared her, his face scared her, and the thoughts that poured into her skull, thoughts of a lupa and Ulfric and things that she couldn't comprehend.

"You are so difficult! You smell like pack, you act like pack, but you've never changed so effectively you aren't pack! You- you-" He turned quickly and left, not abnormally fast, but more so than she could run. Sophia tried to erase the line of worry that appeared between her eyebrows and declared her frown as mutinous.

_At least_, she thought to comfort herself, _it's the end of the day_.

It wasn't really all that comforting.

***

She'd gone insane.

That was the only explanation of course.

Why would some sane, normal person be standing in the middle of the woods naked?

Perhaps it had been what Luke said. Not what he'd said coherently, but that word that seemed to burn in her mind. _Lupa._ What did that mean? Was that some sort of wolf word? And why did it make her feel pride? Why did it make her hackles rise? Why did it make her want to fight and defend that word? Maybe, just maybe, she'd understand if she changed, if she flipped.

When Luke had flipped for her, he'd looked as if it took a lot of concentration. Problem was, she didn't know what to concentrate on. There'd been books she read, all fiction, that described how she was supposed to flip. But that was all imagination on the author's part. Would it come natural after she started? Would she feel her bones breaking and reforming?

So she stood, thinking about a wolf, thinking about Luke and how he had flipped. She pleaded with her body to change like that. To become a wolf.

Time passed, night fading into dawn but Sophia paid no attention. She was focused completely on transforming. Somewhere in the distance, a rooster crowed. It broke Sophia out of her reverie and she looked around, embarrassed more to be naked in the daylight than night. Sheepishly, she put her clothes back on, wrapping her arms around herself and heading towards home. School was _not_ looking like an option today.

Suddenly, the leaves near her rustled, as the wind picked up and something was coming. Fearfully, Sophia huddled against a tree, seeking that meager protection.

Wolves. A dozen of wolves broke through the foliage and raced across. The leader had stopped but the rest continued, loping with that easy grace and not paying mind to her at all. It was the kids from the Hill. She knew each one, could name each blurry form as one of the kids. It was impossible to know, but she did. And the single one that had stopped, well there was no doubt who that was.

The wolf that was Luke came forward, brushing against her legs repeatedly. Automatically, she squatted and ran fingers through that soft fur, remembering how much she loved the wolf form. The boy was another matter, but she'd always loved the wolf. He licked her neck and cheeks, rubbing his muzzle against her face. Wolves had scent pads on their faces, she remembered, and Luke was practically bathing her in his. Sophia rubbed the velvet ears and smiled.

Predictably, he followed her as she walked home, scenting her again. There were no complaints even as she crawled through her window and that heavy body landed beside her. She crawled into bed, kicking off her shoes and socks and shuffling out of her jacket and long pants. Boxers and t-shirt it is. A few seconds later, she was followed by the weight of a wolf, which settled in beside her, his body closest to the door and effectively, potential danger. Was that an animal instinct or human? It didn't matter as Sophia rested her hand on the wolf's crossed paws and curled up.

Her father opened the door to her room and was startled into silence. Sophia lazily opened an eye. "You know there is a wolf in your room Sophia."

"Yeah." She looked at the object of conversation and back at her father. He frowned.

"You know that isn't really a wolf."

"Yeah, I knew that too Dad." He frowned deeper; lines popping up in all sorts of interesting places, probably because he had forgotten his gun.

"And you know who that wolf is Sophia." She felt lazy and dangerous, two adjectives normally associated with Lucas Cates and not herself. The wolf on her bed had done nothing since her father's entrance, eyes closed and breathing softly.

"I know Dad." She sighed loudly and turned her head back into the pillow. "I don't think I'm going to school today. I don't feel well."

"Sophia" It was a warning tone. He knew she was faking it, but he wouldn't call his daughter a liar. And the wolf that was Luke had begun to growl. "I'll be out today."

"You always are." Her father shut the door. Sophia didn't turn back, closing her eyes. It was truth actually; her stomach was clenched into a ball of knots and her head was pounding. School was only a minor factor. She'd rather be getting out of Wolf Lake entirely. The wolf seemed to sense her distress and padded closer, nudging her chin with his nose and resting his soft head in the curve of her neck. He was like a big stuffed animal and at the moment, she was glad.

***

Her eyes fluttered open and she wasn't sure what she was more surprised about: Luke still in her bed still in wolf form, or that there hadn't been any dreams to her sleep. She shifted and the wolf moved with her. Sophia propped herself up against the headboard, stroking the space between the wolf's ears. _Aren't wolves supposed to be wild animals_?

"You should stay like this Luke. No complaining, no whining, no confusing me or making me angry. And you seem to like being around me. How long can you stay flipped like this?" No reply, and she might have been more nervous is there was one. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. I'm just I'm just scared Luke. Really scared."

When he had flipped for her, he'd said something; it was faint more like a wind whisper than an actual mental connection. He hadn't said anything so far, and she wondered if he heard everything, if he could hear all she was saying.

"I'm going to go clean up the house. I feel kinda guilty about this morning." She rose, moving the wolf aside. It merely looked at her with nonchalant eyes, resting his head back on his paws. Deciding to ignore the wolf, Sophia pulled jeans on over her sleeping boxers and quickly switched her t-shirt for a tanktop, keeping a careful eye on the wolf, but he did nothing. The rest of the day was spent cleaning her house, denying herself the privilege of music.

When the last spot of dust was wiped away, Sophia allowed herself to collapse on the carpet, pulling the rag she'd tied over her hair. It was a nice satisfaction of doing something to counter the guilt of using her spoiled daughter status earlier. There was a nagging sense to see what Luke was doing, but Sophia ignored it and allowed herself to revel in the quietness. Slowly, she opened an eye. From years of babysitting, she'd learned the Golden Rule: When it's quiet, something seriously bad is happening.

Sophia opened the door to her room, peering inside. For a moment, it looked as if there was nothing in her room, but that was only because heavy drapes kept out revealing sunlight. Staring a little more closely, a hot blush swept up over Sophia and she averted her eyes. Lying in her bed was still Lucas Cates, but now he'd become human and was quite naked. She moved forward, keeping her hands well behind her back and licking her lips constantly, trying to keep them wet for talking.

At precisely the exact moment she reached out a hand to touch his forehead, Luke moved and she jumped back, startled into a yelp. Green eyes flickered open and he closed them again, bringing up hands to cover his face. He moaned softly and there was a welling in her chest of pain. She didn't want him to be hurt.

"Are you okay?" It seemed a weak sentence, but she kept it, concern flowering in her heart. Never mind he was naked, and in her bed

He peeked out behind his fingers. "I'm still here?" Another groan and he flipped over, burying his face in her pillow.

"That's such a bad thing?" She asked indignantly. He turned his head so he faced her and Luke lost that repelled expression, one turning into pain.

"No, I just- I shouldn't have stayed like that for so long." He collapsed back into her sheets, closing eyes. Sophia knelt, resting folded hands on the bed.

"You mean in wolf form? You can't stay like that for a long time?" It was genuine curiosity and Luke sensed it, looking at her and giving up the struggle to appear indifferent and cold.

"We can stay in it for weeks, if we really wanted to. But it's kinda like a hangover. If you're in the form for less than about three hours, then it's fine. Anything over that tends to be a little hard to bounce back from." Her eyes were large and glittery, absorbing the information.

"Tell me more." Luke glanced at her wistfully, hoping she wasn't serious.

"What do you want to know?" There was a smile lurking in her eyes, and he wasn't sure he could deny anything she wanted.

"Everything!" She stood, swinging around her arms. "This is my life, right?"

"I'm hungry," he said hopefully, looking at her with pleading puppy eyes. Sophia narrowed her own.

"Alright, I'll get you some clothes, we'll eat, and then you can tell me everything, okay?" She handed him clothes that he'd left the night before and ignored any of those leering glances, heading towards the door.

"You aren't going to stay and watch?" Sophia flushed, like he knew she would.

"Luke." It was condescending, but he shrugged with a smile.

"Can't blame me for trying."

It seemed like hours later when he finally washed down the scanty breakfast of bacon she'd made him with a cup of milk. He had refused any product that did not come directly from an animal and had looked heartbroken when she'd said that the only meat in the house was bacon. He leaned back in the uncomfortable kitchen chair.

"You don't know anything, do you Sophia?" _That_ was something she didn't want to hear, so she immediately stiffened.

"I know things!"

"Really? What's the Ulfric?" Her mind went blank, as if she'd actually known what it was. But the word was completely foreign, only sparking something far distant in her knowledge.

"Wasn't Fenrus Ulf Loki's wolf son?" Norse mythology: she'd taken an elective in junior high on it. Luke looked surprised she had known even that.

"Yeah, actually. Well the Ulfric is translated into wolf king.' It's the Alpha male that leads the pack, the lukoi." Sophia nodded, trying to stash the information in a readily available place. "That's what my mother is, the Ulfric. She's not supposed to be; there's never been a bitch in the lead, but that's due mostly to our decision to be all democratic-"

"Luke, do you really think you should be calling your mom bitch?" She felt offended; Luke wasn't the type to treat women like so many of the other guys at school. For a moment, it seemed as if their wires had crossed, but Luke shook his head.

"No it's not like that. Think of bitch in its most basic term: female dog. It's a common term among lukoi, not an insult."

"Oh," Sophia averted her eyes, staring down at her hands twisting a napkin.

"Don't worry about it. You don't know things. It's just bad cultural influence." He became business-like again. "Now, in a normal pack, the hierarchy is Ulfric, then his two seconds, the Freki, which is higher than the Geri, and then the Fenrir which is the Alpha who challenges the Ulfric. Is that too many new terms?"

"I think I got it. Ulfric, wolf king. Freki, first second-in-command, Geri second second-in-command. And the Fenrir is the challenger, right?" She left like a teacher's favorite pupil when Luke nodded.

"That's right so far. Now the Fenrir is just one method of getting a new Ulfric. Sometimes, like it was in our pack before my father died, the new Ulfric is chosen by bloodlines. In older days, I would have been in line before Ruby since I'm male, but things have changed, so I wouldn't be surprised if, when we go back to that method, the first child regardless of gender will be next in line. There are certain times when the Ulfric dies before he's birthed a child or the whole family is killed or just circumstances where no one is the Ulfric by right. Then, all the Alpha males who want to be Ulfric fight each other. If your blood is shed, then you're disqualified. The lupa used to be chosen in that way, but that's only kept by the more dogmatic packs. Nowadays, the Ulfric chooses the mate."

He'd said it. That word that burned in her mind. "Wait. The lupa, what's that?"

"The lupa is" He gave a little half smile. "I could say the lupa is the Ulfric's mate, but that's not really true. She's the queen of the pack. She used to have to win her status by being the toughest, tactful bitch of the pack, but the Ulfrics have been doing pretty good in choosing a qualified lupa. The lupa is the real leader of the pack, because she has such a powerful influence over the Ulfric. And" The hesitation was longer than normal.

"And what?" There was a strange buzzing in the back of her mind and Sophia stopped messing with her napkin and smoothed the wrinkles in her jeans.

"The Ulfric doesn't choose just the prettiest bitch in the pack. He has to love her, a lot. They have to love each other. The leaders of the pack they- they combine souls, for lack of a better word. They have a power as a mated pair that neither could achieve on their own. There've been reports that one or both of the pair can develop telepathic abilities far beyond the slight ones of just being in the pack. Some say that the pairs are predestined, that if an elder is skilled enough, he can detect the pair before it happens."

"So they're they're soulmates."

It was a long pause and Sophia tried not to blush. Something scratched at the surface, something that she was supposed to ask

"What else do you want to know?" If she had known him better, deeper, she'd have known he was a bit flustered.

"If that's all you can think of then well then yeah. I don't have any questions."

He stood, smiling that fake smile reserved for kids at school. "I'm gonna try to make fifth period. I'll see ya Sophia."

"Luke?" She'd caught him right before he had left the house, pivoting ever so slightly on his heel. Her mind went blank. Why had she called him back? Some mental relapse on her part. "Just just how much do you remember when you get out of wolf?"

"Other than it being in black and white, and the distinct layers of heat, we remember everything, much clearer than most humans in fact."

"Oh." She crossed her arms and felt her audacity folding in on itself. Luke shut the door quietly so that when she looked back up and saw him gone, surprise was full.

Quelling all thoughts of guilt and returning to school, Sophia flopped onto the floor of her den, staring at the ceiling. The ceiling was burnt yellow. It reminded her of Luke.

***

The diner was brimming with customers, for the reason of an out of town school visiting for some athletic event that Sophia knew nothing about. She zoomed through the tables, weaving with several plates stacked on her tray. Her feet were hurting already, but it had faded into a dull ache that barely registered. Setting down a few plates, Sophia smiled and was polite before turning back and heading for the counter.

Twenty billion orders and three waitresses. There had better be one hell of a bonus.

Her tray was filled again with plates, steaming, and smells mixing to make her more than a little sick to her stomach. Wolf senses were more acute than human's and with her lack of control, she could smell the basic ingredients to every single dish. The customer she had just served, an older man with greying temples, was complaining about the cilantro or something equally petty when it happened.

A severe pain lanced through her back. She arched, crying out and silencing the man. Another one slashed over her chest and struck up into her gut. Sophia collapsed to her knees, spilling soup over the floor.

It was the worst pain she had ever felt. It was indescribable, compared to a sword biting the flesh; a sword on fire for the illusionary slashes burned worst than when she had been trying to melt iron and touched flame. Her legs went numb, like something had cut them off.

Her mind went into technical mode to keep it from going insane.

It had to be a spinal injury that made her legs numb, accounting for the cut in the back. The one across the chest would be aiming for the aorta and if the attacker wanted her dead that badly, it was surprising he hadn't gone for the femoral artery or the jugular.

There was a sudden strain in her muscles, like she'd lunged and her hand stretched out, invisible claws growing and shredding through something thick and wet: flesh.

He hadn't gone for the two main arteries because they had been struggling. He was dead now.

Sophia tried to fight the pain in her body, but it had taken over. She saw familiar shoes before passing out.

***

She woke up abruptly, sitting straight up and reaching out blindly for something she didn't know. Sophia rubbed her eyes, staring at cream colored wall. It was the couch in the employees' lounge. There was a metal chair next to her; evidence that someone had stayed for at least a minimal amount of time, but the crowd outside must have called whomever it was back out.

There was a strange feeling in her stomach, a pull. It made her stand up, albeit wobbly, and saunter out the back door, heading for the woods. _The woods_? Oh well. Her stride broke into a run, the pain still lacing through every moment but it was second now. Something was more important.

The woods were unfamiliar, trees reaching out to grab her and her shoes sinking into the soft ground. She'd forgotten her glasses; someone had removed them after she had fell. It was sudden halt when she felt her face, realizing that her glasses weren't there. For some reason, she felt naked and unprepared.

Then, someone moaned.

Sophia edged closer, seeing the clearing just before the line of trees before her. Fear twisted around in her stomach, momentarily blocking out the pain staining her body. She knew who lay beyond the edge. It was that familiar wash of gold, red, and green. She'd know that anywhere. But why why the pain? Why hadn't he acknowledged her?

"Luke?"

__

Sophia? It was weak even in her head. She parted the trees and gasped.

Someone had carved a circle deep into the ground and filled it with blood. From knowledge that wasn't her own, the ground was carved with a silver dagger that glowed along the walls of the miniature canal and the blood was a white goat, from the smell. There were lots of little signs carved into the ground as well, one that looked like a strange F was repeated a lot around the blood.

__

Fehu, to charge the blood.

The thought was from no where, a memory that neither of them had.

Next was a square of little Y looking signs beside strangely shaped Us, situated in a square around Luke's body.

__

Elhaz and Uruz, for protection against your strength.

And lastly were two more of the strange symbols, an H with a slanted middle line and something that looked like a little t with the crossing line slanted. They were filling the space directly beyond the Elhaz and Uruz square in random patterns.

__

Hagalaz and Naudhiz, to call the dark side that has been overwhelmed by your need.

Sophia stepped to the edge of the circle, looking in with worried eyes. The air was thick, like she could pass a hand through and grab some of it. Never had she felt it before, but it had to be magic. Luke looked bad in the center of all the magic. He was naked, so whomever had done this had probably found him in wolf form and then then what? Forced him to change back? Was that even possible?

A shiver slid down her spine as she assessed injuries. There was a deep slash across his chest that was still oozing out blood. A stab wound that looked as if the weapon had been pushed in then drawn out without any moving around was low in his belly. Faint lines around the collarbone and thighs suggested that the attacker had gone for the femoral artery and the jugular, but Luke had well had done whatever he had to prevent his death.

In all, her previous phantom injuries related exactly to his real ones. Again, she shivered and held her arms close to her body.

"Luke? How how are you holding up?" It was the stupidest question she could think of, because he obviously wasn't holding up well.

__

Help me Sophia; help me. Her knees went weak. She didn't know if she could be strong when he wasn't. She didn't know if if Sophia swallowed and locked her legs.

"Can you speak aloud?" His body looked deathly pale, which couldn't be a good sign.

__

Nuh-uh. Crushed my larynx. Larynx? Sophia ran through the list of medical terms she'd gleaned from years of watching ER. Wait, wasn't the larynx

"Then how are you breathing?" He _was_ breathing, his chest rose and fell, quite regularly.

__

Through you. Her heart seemed to stop. Sophia gulped. She held her breath and let out a little yelp as Luke's body held its breath as well.

"How how is that possible?" It had suddenly got hard to breathe, but she had to. She was breathing for two people. That thought scared her out of her mind and her knees finally gave out, bringing her to the wet ground.

__

Don't know; don't care. His mental voice flickered, like the radio station she was listening to had lost its tower connections. Instinctively, fear and urgency flooded through her body, making it react again.

"I gotta get you out of there Luke. Can I" Years of watching stupid witch shows made her hesitant about symbols on the ground. Never studied the stuff, but they had some meaning, didn't they? "Can I cross this? Can I drag you out of it?"

It took a while for him to answer and Sophia almost made the decision to go ahead and do it without him. _Cross what?_

"There's a circle of blood and a whole bunch of little symbols. Can I pass that?" She had already made up her mind that if he said no, she was going to do it anyways. But the affirmation would still be a great comfort.

__

thought silver would shit runes pass them don't know. I can't. But you you maybe His thoughts flickered more; she could only catch brief things. It served to make her even more afraid. Sophia swallowed loudly. She closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn't die.

It didn't kill her. That was the good news. But she felt as if a billion hands had swept across every external part of her body and squeezed. It was very violating. Other than that, nothing major happened. She sighed and kicked the circle of blood, not really caring what it did. The level lowered and the goat blood spattered a bit over the grass on the other side. She used her heels to scuff the marks out of the ground. That made her feel a lot better.

Looking at Luke, there was another predicament. If there was a scale for strength, Luke would be the ten and she'd be the zero. Actually, the person who was zero would be laughing at her strength. Sophia stared at his body and wondered how she was going to drag him out of the damned circle much less all the way back to town.

"Luke?" She said softly. There was no response. She knelt by his side and pressed fingers into his throat. A pulse was steady. She hadn't really expected to find it. Gritting her teeth, she put her arms under his armpits and dug her heels into the ground, miraculously managing to drag him a few inches so that his head was near the circle of blood.

She grunted and pushed her body, pulling again so that they cleared the circle, Luke's heels dragging the blood a little ways before disappearing. Glancing up, the clearing was still surrounded by trees and she couldn't make out as sort of rock formation or anything remotely protective.

"Isn't there supposed to be a convenient cave around here? Don't the powers that be see I'm one of those helpless heroine type girls?" Luke didn't reply. Sophia hadn't expected anything to really happen. Life wasn't a stupid television show where everything worked to get the two main characters to fall in love. If it had been a TV show, there'd be a cave and then it would start raining and then the handsome hero would wake up and the two would make love, despite the fact they are trapped in the wilderness and he has severe injuries.

The body in her arms was cooling down and that frightened her. Bodies were supposed to be at ninety-eight-point-six internally, and a few degrees cooler externally. But if it got too low then then

And it wasn't as if they were in California. Washington, no matter what time of year, was wet and cold. Damn.

"It needs to rain sleeping bags Luke. You know the old boy scout trick, body heat and all?" She furrowed her eyebrows and looked around. Then, raising her arms to the sky along with her face, "I need one sleeping bag! That's it! It's not that hard of a miracle!"

__

Maybe you should dance around naked. The thought prompted her to look back down at the prone Luke, whose eyes were cracked open. Relief flooded through her.

"I guess this means you don't have a concussion. You pass out from those things, right?"

__

Aren't you going to hug me or something? She frowned and Luke gave a mental sigh. _You know, helpless heroine and all_.

"You were listening? And you didn't say anything!" His fingers moved in response, probably his injured version of putting up his hands.

_****_

Only listening, I couldn't say anything. Sophia let her defenses drop and plopped down next to him, wiping a layer of sweat off her forehead that had appeared from dragging him around.

It was getting dark. "What what did you do to the guy who attacked you Luke?"

__

Killed him.

Silence went on for a while, and Sophia decided that she wasn't going to let her shyness take control any more.

"I don't know how long you're going to be able to keep on talking, so while you're awake, I'm gonna ask you questions." She patted her body for the rag she kept when washing down tables. Handy as ever. Carefully, she wiped the still damp rag around the wounds, cleaning off the blood. There were a few mental ouches, but it proceeded rather well. Bruises were everywhere. "Aren't you guys supposed to have super healing abilities or something?"

__

Yeah, with normal weapons. Like in myths, silver hurts. It counteracts the fast healing so that we're almost as slow as humans. The guy used silver. Letting a mental damn' slip through, Sophia looked at the wounds. Like that did any good. She wasn't a doctor or trained in any medical skills; she was useless.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to make a radio out of coconuts or start a fire or at least make a bandage out of a plant product, would you?" The answer was negative. "I am not going to leave you here by yourself, because that is the stupid heroine thing to do. But I'm going to get up and walk about a little, see if I can see anything."

__

Sophia? You don't have to do that. She stood over him, still looking out and distracted.

"Do what?"

__

I can't flip until the silver is out of my system, about three days. There is no way we'll survive that long without proper equipment. You can't possible haul me forever. With no food or water, and you exerting yourself, we'll be dead in two nights.

"That's pessimistic. I think I can-"

__

Call the pack.

"What?" Just the words held power, made something inside her give a little jump.

__

If you call the pack, they'll be here within the hour. They'll get **me **out and **you **home safely. Her stomach went berserk with worry and an old habit of chewing her bottom lip suddenly resurfaced. 

"Luke I can't-"

__

You are lukoi damnit! The lukoi can call their own! There was a strange gurgling sound, probably because he had tried to talk with his mouth and his larynx was busted. Suddenly, Sophia was taking deep breaths and that was due to Luke, gasping. It hurt her chest to think of him dead.

"Alright. I'll try. Just tell me what to do." Nothing. She waited a few more moments. "Luke? Luke! Luke!"

The screams echoed over the forest.

It was hours later when the boy stumbled back into consciousness. She could feel his dizziness swarming her head and his nausea attacking her stomach. The hours had passed long and hard. When he was near the edge, so was she, struggling to keep on the side of life. Struggling.

"Tell me how to call the pack Luke. Tell me before you pass out again." It was hard to take breaths. In a brief moment of clarity, Sophia realized that Luke was naked. How could she have not noticed this earlier? But the importance faded rapidly. Naked was nothing compared to dying.

__

Close your eyes. Concentrate on your relationships. You'll see thread connecting you to everyone. The ones that flicker yellowish silver are lukoi. Out of those, the hard line of red is our pack. Grab those lines and call. They'll hear you. Short clipped sentences. He was getting weaker.

Sophia closed her eyes and concentrated. Nothing. She grabbed Luke's hand and tried to imagine him next to her, and those threads he was talking about, his thread that connected to her. It was supposed to be silver and red, right? She focused, thinking about Luke, everything about him that made them friends. His kindness, his sensitivity, his humor, his-

She had to open her eyes as a blinding light appeared. Closing them again revealed the light was a bit dimmer, but wow. Something was really blazing, a brilliant gold that made the usual dark world bright. Trying to tone it down some more, Sophia soon realized that it was a vivid gold-white thread connecting her and Luke. From Luke, there were the silver red threads he had been talking about. As soon as she identified them, the ones to herself were easier to see. Conjuring up a mental fist, Sophia reached out and grabbed hold of the threads, so tight she could feel her mental fingernails.

__

Help me! I need help! Tentative, but the threads started to hum.

There was a response, which served to shatter her hope.

__

You little bitch! Get out of my head!

No Presley, you've got to help me!

Go fuck yourself! Presley's mental voice hurt. A lot.

__

Presley! It was a commanding voice and at first, Sophia didn't recognize it. But soon

__

Luke?

E ys dra Ulfric yht oui femm upao sa. Cra ec dra lupa yht oui femm upao ran. Zueh dukadran yht iheda dra bufanc uv dra lukoi. Tu hud taho ouin bycd. Pa uha fedr yhudran. Iheda. Palusa. Meja. The words came to life in the world of darkness and connecting threads. They were written in dazzling lettering, emblazoned across the darkness. They hummed and soon, Luke's voice began to echo with voices that weren't his own.

__

Oac, so gehk. Presley's voice was also echoed, but Sophia could make out the distinct voices of other members in the pack.

"They're coming Luke. Just hold on" His mental shout had been too much for either reserves of their strength. Her consciousness filtered out and she remembered the blood on her hands and the faint stars that were showing up in the sky

***

She was roughly pushed in the shoulder, the scent of too many animals filling her nose and the feel of something solid against her back. Why was she upright?

"Wake up." Her eyes sprang open immediately at the sound of Presley's husky voice. There was a semi-circle of wolves around them and they could have all been like Presley, who was dressed to perfection.

"Presley?" The blonde ignored her and gestured to the other wolves.

"Look, she's awake. Do the damn homage so I can get out of here. Luke is-" She flinched, like something had hit her and shut up, backing away slowly.

"Presley, what's going on?" Her voice shook so bad that her words slurred. It was comforting -ironic that it was comforting too- that Presley was in human form, even though she was being submissive.

The wolves moved closer, so that their sides brushed against each other. Sophia would only be able to get out if she jumped over them. The thought made her knees weak and with her frailty from before, Sophia slid down the thing at her back and almost fell on her face.

A short snicker from Presley that ended with her flinching again. Her face twisted into a very ugly expression. She marched over to Sophia and hauled the girl up by her shoulders, making sure that the feet her firm before letting go.

"Damnit, stop doing that and hurry up! You're going to give me brain damage or something." A short pause, then Presley stuck her tongue out at one of the wolves. "You wish."

Sophia desperately tried to stay conscious while each of the wolves rolled to their backs and presented furred bellies to her. She was completely lost. Presley looked extremely pissed, but Sophia just wanted to fall asleep somewhere, for a very long time.

"You done, you bunch of sycophants?" Anger. "Hey shut up!" To Sophia. "If you feel around with your left hand, you'll find the door knob. You'll be safe inside."

With that, she was gone, as was the rest of the Hill kids. Sophia pondered it only for the second it took to find the doorknob before she twisted it, managing to shut the door and fall unto something soft, passing out once more.

***

It was the robin egg blue of her father's eyes that Sophia first saw when she opened her own eyes again. Startled, she sat straight up, which banged their heads together. That didn't help the ache in her head. Her father smiled, pressing a warm hand against her head.

"Lay back down sweetie. You've been sleeping for two days straight." He frowned, cupping her cheek and leaning back on his heels. "Vivian tells me Luke has been doing the same."

"Oh Dad." Or at least, that was what she had meant to say. Instead, her throat cracked and grated against itself. It hurt to even _breathe_.

Good news was, Dad looked thoroughly pissed.

"I knew it. You were getting too close to Lucas Cates. Sharing injuries now I'll kill him. I can do it too, without hurting you Sophia." He was bordering on Full Father Rampage mode and she reached out a hand to grasp his, wishing vainly she could talk. His eyes softened, hand coming back from where it had rested on the butt of his gun. "That was pretty stupid of him, invoking the lukoi rites. And near so much silver and runes! Irresponsible-"

Her throat crackled out a d' to which her father stopped and was contented with pacing across the floor. Sleep sounded good. Too good actually. Concussion wasn't it? One more day and Luke's system would reject the silver. Then healing would speed up again. That thought was warm and happy, so Sophia allowed herself to sink in again. The look on her father's face knew it was to be expected.

***

The air was thick and rolling, like Louisiana, but not hot or sticky. The ground was rich and brown, spongy and soft beneath her feet. It was a forest, over run with giant ferns and an unrealistically large amount of lush leaves only found in Washington forests. Light was sideways and golden, warm and bouncy, giving the whole place the feel of comfort and protection. Words, like honey, drifted over slowly to her and she followed the highlighted trail, shifting aside leaves to see the ongoing.

In some language she didn't understand, there was a wedding. The bride and groom were on their knees in front of a tall hooded figure in black, practically disappearing into the background. There were four witnesses, a woman and man for either side. All four were naked and lying on the ground, heads rested on their forearms. The bride was clothed in complicated complete white, dark hair threaded with white ribbons. The groom was in white too, something having been sprinkled in his hair as well. Both had bare feet peeking out from their long robe-like clothes.

But that wasn't the strangest or most arresting thing about them. They seemed to be glowing, shimmering different colors so that Sophia couldn't really differentiate the motley bunch. The basic color of the girl was white and the boy gold. The colors changed a lot, but always seemed to compliment each other.

"Pmuut femm iheda. Muja femm peht," said the priest. The two kneeling lifted their hands on cue, to which the priest placed with the male's cupping the female's. Then, the priest lifted a long, wickedly jagged dagger.

"Pmuut." The whole party said it as the priest drove the dagger through their joined hands. Sophia winced.

"Muja." The separate glows of the bride and groom seemed to focus into their arms and up, up into their hands, where they merged. It was too bright to watch any longer. She dared a look back and the intensity had faded, leaving only their conjoined colors. It formed a singular color but but she couldn't describe it. Not that her words had left her but there weren't any words that could describe that color. _Muja_ that had to mean love. Only love would look like that, look like something inconceivable.

The two laced fingers and stood, "Vunajan," they moved to turn around.

"Enthralling, isn't it?" With a wave of thick rolling air, the scene vanished. Sophia broke from her reverie and turned quickly to the voice, knowing it like her own.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He smiled and it was good to see him well and dressed, donning black. Black just happened to be the sexiest color ever invented and Luke teased it.

"We shared thoughts, injuries I guess dreams are just the next step." She folded her arms, glancing back at the scene.

"You've seen it before?" He looked a bit jarred before letting the green gaze wander to the empty clearing. A slow nod. Perhaps the reality wasn't so far from the dream.

"Yeah, lots. I'm surprised you haven't yet. I never get to see their faces. Something always happens." He seemed wistful, and that wasn't very comforting to Sophia, who very much wanted to be in her own dreams without seeing Luke for at least a whole freaking day.

"Are you a figment of my imagination?" Wow, that had sounded so much better in her head. Luke laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"If I was, how would I know? Maybe _you_ are just a figment of _my_ imagination."

Pause.

"I think I'm going insane." It wasn't funny. She clutched her temples and slowly sat on the soft ground. Luke moved closer, towering above he with arms folded.

"It's your wolf. You haven't flipped at seventeen when most of us have been transforming since seven or eight. You can't keep denying it Sophia it'll kill you eventually. It'll just rip its way free and you'll be dead." He wasn't looking at her anymore, staring off into the distance.

The news didn't really upset her. Maybe the fact that it was a dream or the whole area in general just dulled everything, but Sophia didn't really have a reaction. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" Well, he had her there. No idea what she was afraid of, just something in the wolf. Something about losing control and being an animal, being lost in the sensations and mostly, losing the human in her. If she flipped, something deep inside her knew that it would take over for a while, even in her human form. And during that time, she'd probably sleep with someone. Wolves were sensual creatures, Luke had told her; they liked sex. Probably just _him_ who liked sex, that little bastard.

"Of losing control." Tears welled up and she tried to stifle them before they broke free. "Tell me that I'll be in control Luke. Tell me that I'll know exactly what to do and it'll be just a quick switch. That it'll have no lasting effects."

"Sophia You've been holding it back for so long it's gonna want control for a while." Misery crossed his face and Luke looked down into his hands. Sophia pouted.

"You were supposed to lie to me."

"I'd have only lied if you meant nothing. And that's not true." She folded arms and stood, turning her body away from him.

"How do I get out of this?" Anger laced her voice and Luke decided that he wasn't going to be all little Miss step on me.

"Something outside the dream messes with your body, or you become uncomfortable in the dream." She was turning back around to see his face; sure something was there and hadn't been in his voice.

"And what kind of uncom-"

He had grabbed her shoulders, pressing dry trembling lips against hers. The wave of well whatever it was between them swept through and made her knees weak again, made her arms limp noodles and made her mouth suddenly easy to pry open as Luke did, pressing hands into the waist band of her skirt.

Despite her body's obvious approval, her mind revolted and the burnt yellow of her ceiling came into focus. Luke's mind was gone from hers. She tried to speak and was surprised that saying his name was easy. The linking of their bodies was gone, save for the faint bruises that Luke's injuries had left. She pressed her lips together, remembering the warmth of his and quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

__

No Luke for a whole day, she promised herself.

If that was even possible

***

Work was perhaps the best thing to get lost in. It didn't require any in-depth thinking or analysis. It was very unlikely that it'd cause her to flip. Sophia smiled brightly at all her customers, taking orders like asking for diamonds and even dancing a bit as she moved. The customers were a bit more than amused. They were delightful and Sophia was sure to get more tips than pay.

Jessica slammed her empty tray into the counter besides Sophia, who jumped at the sudden sound. "That's it! I can't take it!"

"What's wrong?" Genuine concern lit Sophia's face. Someone else's problems would be a nice thing at that very moment and she was not going to let the opportunity slip.

"You do realize that you were given a week off? But here you are, working when you're off! And of course, you had to be Miss Super Waitress, bouncing around like you're on meth." Her blue eyes widened and she whispered. "You _aren't_ on meth, are you Sophia?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just I'm so stressed and worn out that the only way I can act is the opposite." She sighed and slumped against the wall, closing eyes. Jessica laid a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Tone it down a little, okay? Refrain from bouncing and being overtly happy and I think you'll be fine." Jessica beamed and pointed towards the entrance. "And since I'm so generous, you can serve the hottie that just walked in."

Sophia grinned, straightening out her body and giving a quick check over. Yep, certainly presentable. The guy sat at the bar. Jessica was right; he was definitely material to remember. A cloud of dark hair surrounded his head, a mass of curls and was definitely appealing. The lines of his face were incredibly sharp and masculine, as if he was the creature that had invented testosterone. Eyes were stark blue, sharp like the rest of him, the color of sapphire's heart. The clothes were tasteful and tight, making Sophia wish the waitress uniform was short and red, not concealing and tawny.

"Hi, can I help you?" Her throat was still a little sore from the incident, so her voice was husky. It worked well, actually. He smiled slowly and Sophia suppressed a shiver. It was a smile like honey.

"Yeah, just a Sprite please. Sophia." His voice offered comfort and security, wonder and tenderness, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and two-point-five children. It was everything Luke's voice wasn't. _Damnit, thought about him_

"I'll have that right up for you" He smiled again, showing very white teeth.

"Thomas," he supplied. She smiled back, hesitant and, well, flirty.

"Thomas." The Sprite arrived faster than was humanly possible and Sophia leaned on her elbows, allowing herself the pleasure of flirting. Thomas was definitely cute; Jessica had given her twenty thumbs-up to confirm it. By the end of her shift, they were going to see what was playing at the theatre and if nothing that great, walk around the lake. At the time, she really didn't think about the Hill or kids who occupied it. Thomas was really cute.

The theatre proved lacking, so they walked instead. They talked about nothing with substance, but it was completely comfortable. Some would have said boring, but right then, comforting and slow was exactly what Sophia needed. In fact, it might need a repeat.

"How long are you staying here in Wolf Lake?" A soft line appeared betwixt his eyebrows, those dark blue eyes going a bit distant.

"I'll be going home tonight. I just needed to get out of town to clear my head. Things have gotten so muddled." The distance was explained, and Sophia needed no more than that.

"Well I know exactly what you mean. But problems tend to follow you, no matter how far you go." She added -knowing that soft accent wasn't Washington or Oregon in origin- "How far did you go anyways?"

"Kansas." She stopped walking, taking a long look to see if he was serious. The fair face flushed and he averted his eyes.

"You had to come all the way to Washington to clear your head?'"

"Like you said, problems tend to follow you. If you go far enough, it takes longer."

There was a long silence. But again, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was as if they shared something; something that neither could dare say in words, but knew both suffered from it. They had made a complete circle around the lake, coming back into view of the theatre.

"I guess I better leave."

"Late plane?"

"Plane?" He looked a bit perplexed before realization settled in like a fog. There was a look about his face, as if the word was amusing in a way Sophia would never understand. "Yeah, a plane."

"I gotta go to bed anyways. I've had a long week." She stuck out her hand awkwardly and Thomas smiled, grabbing it but not shaking. "Goodbye Thomas. I think, if we'd had more time"

"Clark. My name is Clark. And I think Sophia yeah, I think that too." On impulse, as if he surprised himself, Thomas –Clark now? - pulled her closer and gave her a sweet, innocent kiss. She hadn't had a kiss like that before and it was nice. It was normal and innocent. She loved it.

Sophia touched her lips with gentle fingers, smiling. "I've never been kissed like that."

"Yeah well," He was flushed tomato red and Sophia laughed. Another catching of the eyes and he had started down the road. "See you Sophia."

She sighed loudly, shoving her cold hands into her pockets. "No. You won't."

Slowly, she made the descent to her home, thinking of the boy with eyes bluer than the ocean and a cloud of black curly hair. They didn't know each other in the real sense of long friendship but there was some kinship. Something beneath the surface that eased the week of suffering and chaos. That night, when she crawled into bed and drowned in a sea of blankets, Sophia slept the best she had in a month, with nice dreams of picket fences, suburbs, little children with wide brown eyes and clouds of dark hair, playing with a white wolf and blue, blue eyes.

***

Presley, donned in complimentary yellow and purple, slammed her locker shut and slid to block Sophia from opening it again. She was tiny, with her small visage twisted into a scowl. For such a pretty girl, Presley had been making some nasty faces. Sophia rubbed her temples, vainly keeping her eyes from rolling.

"Look, I don't like you. I'm supposed to, but I don't. And I can't do anything to you so just listen to me. Don't see Luke today. He knows and he's pissed. We can't we can't have him making any accidents." She growled low in her throat and very suddenly, darted forward before running off. Stunned, it took Sophia a second to realize-

"She kissed me!" She glanced down the hall, but the little blonde was gone. It was only a peck at the pulse in her neck, but that was _really_ strange and made her _extremely_ uncomfortable. Wiping it off on the back of her hand, Sophia piled books into her backpack and hurried to her class. Good thing avoiding Luke was always her top priority. That would, of course, mean ditching seventh period. Darn.

But Luke didn't show up to seventh period. It would have been a day to relax if that peculiar incident with Presley hadn't happened the same morning. She spent the whole period shivering uncontrollably in the dugout. Luckily, Ms. Darrims had given her permission to sit this period out, mostly because Sophia couldn't even hold a bat. There was something happening in the pack that was big and dangerous, but she couldn't tell what it was.

The walk home was worse, her paranoia having ruptured, causing her to jump at every slightest sound. Shadows attacked her and voices assaulted her mind, making her twitch all the time. There was no safe haven. 

Sophia rounded the corner to her house and immediately sensed the presence waiting. It exploded in the back of her mind, demanding attention and bathing her in a warm glow. She knew before she even met those emerald green eyes, that Luke would be waiting, one hand pushed into his pocket and the other hanging stiff at his side. He was tense, as she was, both stopping a few feet away from each other. She tried not to flinch as he approached, circling around like a vulture. He spoke before she could utter a word.

"You smell disgusting." Okay definitely _not_ the thing she thought he would say.

"What?" Her hands weren't shaking as badly and she felt proud about that.

"I can smell him all over you. Don't you even _bathe_?" The words were chipped from ice, attacking any vulnerable spot they could find. His circling had grown tighter, so that he brushed her every so often.

"Get away from me. I can't be around you." Luke's hand closed over her wrist, pulling her out of her started gait and close to him.

"But you can be around _him_? Is that it? Are you just forgetting me and everything between us for some one night stand that will never think of you again-"

"Everything between us? There's nothing between us Luke! You don't look so well, perhaps you should go home." Pushing roughly away, Sophia clutched her hands closer to her chest and started walking.

In the next instant, his mouth was on hers. The swelling of color from them both, now almost familiar rush of excitement and contentment tackled them like football players. Sophia pushed away, wiping her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her pleasure. But Luke knew; he sensed it, and he pounced.

"Tell me what that was Sophia. Was that _nothing_?" She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I really should be getting home."

"Damnit!" He threw a fist into a nearby tree, causing it to topple over. Sophia kept her steady pace moving her away from the angry boy.

The next time she saw Luke, he was rather subdued. It seemed like the twenty something allotted days for sun had been filled. Washington rain once again filled the sky, dousing all the things that had so tediously become dry in those wonderful days. She was shuffling home through the rain, enjoying the tiny pelts against her. They were comforting, a part of Washington life.

Luke was against the side of tree, huddled as if he were afraid of the rain. Sophia seriously considered walking straight past him, but the goodness in her won out and she slowed, stopping in front of him. One thing for certain: no one ever accused Lucas Cates of not being utterly sexy.

He donned the familiar long sleeved white shirt, albeit it was transparent and sticking to him, the black pants doing much the same. Blond hair was streaming down his face and green eyes looked like burning coals in his pale face. She swallowed and stepped under the scarce shelter the tree provided.

"Hi Luke." After everything, that was all she could say. He didn't seem to mind.

"Hey Sophia. What's up?" The ease in the voice was anything but. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hold him or kill him. Both seemed very likely possibilities.

"Nothing really, just walking home." Like metal in a blender, the sentence flowed.

"I'll join you." With that, he took up beside her and they had a steady pace throughout. It was easy banter, nothing normal or natural about it, but the illusion was better than the reality. Her house came into a fuzzy grey view and they both stopped, at least one remembering the nights that had occurred there.

"Well I'm home."

"Yeah, I guess I better go." Neither made a move to go anywhere. The events of the past few days flooded in her mind and Sophia used every ounce of energy in her body not to cry. Things were so overwhelming and the one person she thought she could trust, could tell everything to, turned out to be the one everything was about.

"Luke I—I don't want us to fight anymore. I don't think my sanity can survive anymore vicious encounters. Why can't things be the way they used to be? Why can't we go back?" She sounded ridiculous, like soap opera whiny brats who didn't get the right color Mercedes for Christmas. But she couldn't help it; Sophia needed something, a touchstone.

"Do you feel this?" He reached out a hand, ran it across her forehead, and cupped her cheek, smoothing out the line of her shoulder and brushing her breast before settling on her hip, all without touching a single part of her. Sophia shuddered, wavering on her feet and feeling things low in her body clenched. Not to mention the pulse inside

"Wh-what-"

"_That_ is why things can't go back. We've overstepped the boundaries. If you don't accept this, if you can't well, we'll never be just friends. It's impossible." And something inside Sophia died. She'd always thought, in the back of her mind, that they would always be friends. They'd been friends since second grade when one of the older Hill kids (back then they called themselves Walkers') spilled milk down her dress and Luke had challenged him to a fight. Luke had lost, of course, but it was the principle. How could something that long, that wonderful, be over in a few days?

"I know things change Luke but why do we-" He stepped in front of her, so that she could only see the black pupils of his green, green eyes.

"Because that's the way it works!" Boom. Gone. Sophia stared ahead, seeing only green eyes.

***

They were taking a standardized test. Due to the lack of population in Wolf Lake and the sheer coincidence of Cates and Donner for last names, they had ended up in the same classroom and sat together. Anger flickered at the facades, but they kept them intact, pretending that the myriad of things hadn't happened. They were the Outcast and the Popular Boy. Sophia and Luke didn't exist in that world. She was filling out the stupid bubbles for one of those standardized tests, science.

23. If an oriole lands in the nest of a red-tailed hawk, assuming it is its own, and defeats the hawk, how would the other birds react?

A Live in fear of the oriole.  
B Reject the oriole's new status.  
C Fight the oriole if it was a stronger bird.  
D Kill the oriole and bathe in the hot blood.

Sophia blinked a few times, watching the last line blur into a more acceptable answer. Oh no, wolves were the _farthest_ things from her mind. She scribbled in an answer that didn't make sense and moved on. But the words became unfocused, blurring away.

Hot blood. It sounded sick and and delicious.

Right. It sounded proper and the thing to do. Blood, smearing across her body and a voice telling her to remember the mark. _You'll make it many times_.

The thought of blood made her mouth water, so much in fact, that she guiltily swiped a hand across her mouth to catch the drool from falling onto her test and sneaked a peek at Luke. He was oblivious, bottom lip caught in his teeth as he concentrated on the test. Sophia licked her dry lips, imagining his mouth and the various things it could perform, the way it could move across her flesh and delve into her own mouth, tasting and licking and _biting_

Damnit, it was all Luke's fault. He had to be going through one of his monthly super-lust modes. As before, it affected her now, as she squirmed in her chair. Who knew a biology class could be so arousing?

Abruptly, so that the scraping of the chair against the tile pieced ears, Sophia rose and all eyes swiveled to the distraction. Even Luke, who had obviously been so involved in his test so that he could avoid her eyes, glanced up. Ease slid over her, like stepping into a coat of comfort, of cool detachment. The words that came out of her mouth weren't hers.

"Who wants to take these stupid tests anyways?" Then, being that cool aloof person, Sophia held her head high and walked out of the classroom, fully aware that the only pair of eyes brave enough to still be watching her were green.

There were footsteps behind her. The girl who had invaded her body still hadn't left, so the old Sophia watched calmly and the other turned, letting no emotions betray her to the boy following. "Sophia!"

"Yes Luke?" Slightly amused, not to the point of emotion, but enough to annoy him.

"Are you feeling okay?" Boiling under the surface was anger; something inside him was definitely not as amused as she was. Sophia smiled, slow and dangerous, fun.

Her feet moved in a quick circle, a twirl; Luke watched with eyes weary. "Depends on the definition of okay."

He darted forward quickly, hands capturing her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes at him and violently ripped away; stepping back and getting that teasing amused look. Luke stared at her, body singing with tension. The halls were silent; heartbeats could be heard.

"What's wrong with you?" A hiss, striking at her and that icy exterior. She shook her head and the façade broke off in pieces. Suddenly, she was very, very cold.

"I I I don't know I I'm sorry Luke." Her head wouldn't stop moving as she stepped away, hands clutching mindlessly at air. Luke, pain streaked across him in despairing white bolts, reached out and gently cupped her face in warm hands.

"Come, we'll walk in the woods like we used to. There's no Lucas Cates, and there's no Sophia Donner. There's just you, and there's just me. Okay?" She nodded numbly, trying to forget that she couldn't remember who she was, she couldn't remember a time when she was happy, without worry, wonderful. Couldn't remember a time when life was beautiful.

Luke was the one who talked through the stroll. Sophia wandered in a daze, his arm on her elbow the only touch with reality. The slightest things caught her attention: the bird preening, the mouse scampering, that leaf falling falling catching golden light and spinning spinning

"Sophia!" Sharp and incessant. Luke had a hold of her waist now, pulling her off the ground that had been rushing up to meet her. Sophia wavered, clinging to the security blanket of man. The embrace was tight and suddenly, it wasn't the moist soil that she saw so very close, but eyes greener than any chlorophyll could offer a plant. Emeralds were made from his eyes, small chips they had to replace with that vibrant humming cobalt. He was an entire thing carved out of earthen wonders. Ivory skin laced with bronze and those gem eyes with such perfect rose quartz lips, _parfait_. She fell into that face that didn't exist, those ruby lips and emerald eyes and golden skin, she fell deep, falling, like the leaves twirling in autumn splendor

It was melting into slow thick honey; full of golden warm and the too sweet taste too sweet. People didn't taste sweet. It was immortal, a god that she had captured by the mouth, bringing hands into sun-burnished hair and pressing more into her. Pour all she could into that vial of emptiness inside her and fill it to the brim, using the crystal stopper to hold in the perfection but it didn't stop never stopped The god sighed her name and it floated like Orpheus' music across the stained glass air.

And it was fierce, her sacrifice to that god of sun and glory and canine beasts. Dogs were not canines; they were weak imitations. She was the true canine: a wolf. He had erased barriers with a brush of his mind, hands sliding around bare flesh: pulling, cupping, releasing.

It was Luke. She remembered Luke. Remembered that Luke wasn't some god. He was like she was. They were the same. Right now, his hands were places she hadn't let him go before. Brushing across her bare hip, sliding around to cup her against him, the other pressing against her breast through her suddenly thin shirt. Instinctively, she wrapped a leg around his thigh, arching against him so there was a hiss between both.

She could smell him. Not a normal scent, but _Luke_, as Luke could only be identified from the billions of other people in the entire world. It wasn't a smell, but it was. His gold and his emerald, the taste of his sweat and his lust, that mentality of Boy Scout laced the air and she lapped it up. She could see the layers of heat, his thinking, the thoughts of her naked were on surface, the teenaged boy. But beneath she saw that deep color that had no name, that color that had to be-

Couldn't finish that thought. This was sex. Sex brought about the change. It was about damn time too. Fingers that were too long with too sharp nails shredded through tough jean material. Pulled forcefully down on stiff blue material. Luke gasped sharply, grabbing her hands with his own. His eyes were too yellow, the saffron burning into gold. His breath was harsh wind against her face. There was a question in his shifting eyes and she was appalled.

"We aren't teenagers in a damn romance novel Luke." The words fluttered out of her mouth, making them husky like she hadn't wanted. "If you dare ask my permission to have _sex_ well you're pretty _thick_ if you haven't guessed the answer."

He shook his head, hair illuminated with sun streaks. Somehow, they'd gotten pressed against a tree. There were gentle movements, his hips against hers, the trunk of the tree scraping against her back. She didn't care. She wasn't Sophia now: she was consumed. And _it_ didn't care. Dry-humping damnit. Getting off on dry-humping.

His tongue stopped, flickered against the edges of her mouth. She found out why. Fangs, long delicate fangs had sprouted. It empowered her. Sophia, the thing that was Sophia grinned.

"Bite me."

Hair flew around as she shook his head violently. Couldn't bite her. Knew what that meant. Couldn't force her to do something she didn't know of. Wasn't Sophia, _wasn't Sophia_! There'd be the breech and then a flooding—he knew what that meant.

Shudders wracked his body as she slid fangs home, the pulse in the neck, biting and baring blood. Hot blood she hadn't known she craved. He cried out, sinking his own fangs into her neck. They were sharing blood. Sharing—

__

--bright lavender dress

does he really have to look like that?

Kiss me! you aren't-stop! Wait—

I need you, listen to me –you don't understand

Sophia, the confusion cleared. She was Sophia Donner. And she was in the middle of the forest, lost in Lucas Cates. There was a single silver moment of false control and clarity; she could see those green, green eyes smiling at her beyond that mangled mess of bodies, blood and lust.

__

Sophia I— I love you.

Love me?

It was her last coherent thought, before the wolf took over. 

***

The world came back into focus. It was soft sunlight and the leafy canopy above, flickering across her face. Sophia closed her eyes slowly, relearning their movements. Panic raced through her. What if she was still in wolf form? What if she'd done something stupid? What if she and Luke had—

The thought prompted her to move muscles that she hadn't wanted to acknowledge as she sat up. Or rather, _tried_ to sit up. But her motion was halted by a constricting arm wrapped around her waist, not to mention the legs pinning hers and the lack of anywhere to go. The rock formations slowly seeped into her head. A cave. She was trapped in a cave wrapped in something warm and human. And—oh dear God—naked. She had to be naked, didn't she?

And naked meant—

__

Stop it Sophia! Twice, in one brief interlude.

It was then Luke chose to awaken, looking ruffled and adorable. He snatched back his arm upon realizing that Sophia was also awake. If they'd been standing, no doubt he'd have been rubbing his toe in the dirt, embarrassed.

" Morning Sophia." Mumbled under his breath and Luke maneuvered out of the cave, stretching in the warm morning sunlight. She watched him for a few moments, the lanky body a nice sight but but she didn't feel desperate anymore. She didn't feel like she was going to ravish the poor boy.

"Morning Luke" Voice trailed off, looking around the rather picturesque cave. It was large enough for five humans to lay comfortably in; the whole pack could easily have had a sleepover in wolf form. The equipment to build a fire lie in the corner opposite of her and she noticed that a slab of rock was resting against the wall with a hole used to store things nearby. Apparently, it wasn't the first time Luke has used the cave. Sophia felt insecurities that had been demolished over the last few days rise up again, fluttering over her secure façade. "Uh Luke? Where's my clothes?"

His blonde head ducked back into the cave and he turned an interesting shade of red. He pointed to the recently discovered hole in the wall. "You, uh, _shredded_ your clothes. All I had were my extras I hope you don't mind"

Shaking her head and trying to reassemble her dignity, Sophia quickly dressed and joined Luke outside the cave in the warm sunlight. She must have looked ridiculous, his pants too big and t-shirt hanging to her thighs. Luke wasn't that much taller than her, but she was all legs and he was mostly torso.

"How how long was I I" She couldn't say it, glancing down at the lush grass that stopped at the mouth of the cave. Luke reached forward and gripped her hand, intertwining their fingers. Strength flooded over her in waves. And that something that something her brain wouldn't let her access

"We've been here about three days. You've been in and out since the first day. In and out of wolf that is. And consciousness." He squeezed a bit harder, keeping their hands close to his body. Sophia couldn't take her eyes off those hands, mesmerized.

"Three days" she repeated absently. Luke lifted her chin with a finger, smiling at her in full Luke glory. She could see his molars.

"Sophia we—we didn't we didn't—look Sophia, I know you've been thinking about it. I can hear you say it. We didn't have sex. Close, yeah. But we didn't do it. You're still pure."

A strange lilt to his voice, like pure' was a pun. And it was too intimate to be just a word, just a weird tick in his voice. Sophia could feel her eyes narrow and she raised an eyebrow.

"Why exactly, do I get the feeling that you know something I don't?" Luke held on tighter; afraid she'd let go.

"You bit me. Remember? And—and I bit you back. That—in lukoi that's binding."

"Binding? What _binding_?"

"A forever blinding," he said glumly, desperately holding to her hand. "A binding beyond eternity when it's between people like us."

"What's people like us?" Anger was rising in her voice and pressing against his head.

"Look, it's too complicated. I don't even really know what it is. All I know is that your father tried to keep you away from me because he knew that if you fell in love with me the circle would be complete and we'd rule for centuries as the Ulfric and lupa. There's no denying peoples like us Sophia! It's one of those crappy true love soulmate kinda deals. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't love you and you've just got to deal with it too!"

Silence.

After the very long silence, or more so _during_, Sophia decided she wouldn't comment on anything he had said. Anger tended to make you say stupid things. But her hand still held his trembling one, and there was strength and warmth and Luke's love was washing over her.

"So so what do we do now? You being future king and me being all bound to you."

Luke stared off into the distance. The cave overlooked a cliff, one of the few with a view that could be seen through the thick foliage. The clear aquamarine of sky was serene, promising a storm only on the fringes, gathered around the snow-white summits of verdant mountains. A bird called in the distance, flying low over the high peaks of innumerable trees. So much life too much life actually. It throbbed with things, with energy of creation. Luke sighed, casting his eyes away.

"I don't know. But but I think that's okay."

Fin

review or email me at angelfire2996@yahoo.com 

As promised, here's my author's note.  
Well, I certainly took Sophia and Luke for a spin. They aren't the same charactrers. Hey! It's called character growth! There was none of that in the series. Poor characters!  
I do realize I left lots unresolved. I mean, dude, what was the whole camping scene about? What are Luke and Sophia going to do now? And what about all the other five hundred billion characters? What are they doing?? ACK!  
Truth be told, I don't know these answers. The muse used me, then left. There will be no sequel. Don't ask for one. It won't happen. (Okay okay, I *might* be forced...)  
I ended the story that way because... well thats how life ends. With things unresolved, you in a mess and barely any conclusions. And that's how this story ends... so hopefully you've enjoyed. REVIEW! Tell me what I've done! pwease? ^^*


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